


The Observation of Binary Stars

by ThePackWantstheD



Series: The Observations of Binary Stars [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: 5+1 Things, Age Difference, Begins Pre-Canon, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Serious Injuries, so it diverges from there, written as of S3E4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 19:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5346209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePackWantstheD/pseuds/ThePackWantstheD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Yang had gotten old enough to recognize what it was, she found Ruby's little hero crush on their uncle a tad bit adorable. </p><p>She was approaching the end of her last year at Signal when she noticed for the first time that it might not have been as one sided as she thought.<br/>(------------------)<br/>OR: Five people who observe Ruby and Qrow's growing relationship and the one person who asks Ruby about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Observation of Binary Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline:  
> Part 1 ----->S1E1 -------> Part 2 ------->S1E2 ------------------------>S3E3 ----------->Part 3 ---------> S3E4 -------> Part 4 & 5

**1.**  
Ruby and Qrow had always been close.

In the early days, before Summer died, it was always Qrow who she gravitated towards. She would run to him first when he returned from a mission with their father. She would throw tantrums if he took them out and held Yang's hand instead of her own. As she grew up, Ruby took to showing her affection for Qrow in other ways. She refused to play Huntress with Yang unless Qrow let her wear his cape. She refused to take her belt tests for any of her martial arts unless Qrow was present and got upset if he was sent out on a mission before her dance recitals.

When Yang had gotten old enough to recognize what it was, she found Ruby's little hero crush on their uncle a tad bit adorable.

She was approaching the end of her last year at Signal when she noticed for the first time that it might not have been as one sided as she thought.

Yang was approaching Qrow's classroom for help with her gauntlets, they'd had been acting up during training and she couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with them, when she heard her sister's laughter.

She pulled the door open just enough to stick her head in.

Ruby was standing in front of Qrow's chalk board while Qrow sat on his desk. He was lounged backwards, his palms pressed to the desk while his fingers curled around the edge.

"You aren't allowed to erase this," Ruby declared as her hand moved against the board. A line of white chalk was left in her wake. "Not until I see you tomorrow."

"How am I supposed to teach my other classes than?" Qrow asked. He didn't sound annoyed, just half amused and half interested. "My Engineering Intro class needs diagrams if their going to figure out how to build their weapons."

Ruby looked over her shoulder, flashing Qrow a toothy grin. "You could call me down to show them a live weapon."

He quirked an eyebrow. "My class wouldn't happen to be at the same time as your history class would it?"

"Maybe," Ruby drew out. She turned back to the board, rocking on her toes as she spoke. "It's just so boring. I'd rather be in the training yard or in here working with you."

Yang's mouth fell open as she took in the expression on Qrow's face. His eyes were filled with warm affection. His lips weren't turned in his usual smirk or even the full blown smile he gave when he laughed, they were instead quirked up into something soft and fond.

"I know, little red, but if you want to be a huntress, you have to learn it all," he said, his voice dripping with warm affection. He reached out, snagging the back of Ruby's cape. He twisted a finger in it and gave a sharp tug so she turned to look at him. "Why don't you take Crescent Rose out? We can talk about those improvements you wanted to make until your lunch break ends."

"You'll help me?" Ruby exclaimed. Her face split into a wide grin. She set the chalk down, already reaching for the hook that kept her weapon in place. "I thought you didn't want me making them."

"I didn't want you making them alone," Qrow corrected. He pulled his finger from Ruby's cloak. The material swirled around her before settling against her back again. "I don't want you messing up the balance and getting hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt. You taught me too well for that."

"Even the most skilled huntresses get hurt." Ruby had unclipped Crescent Rose now. She stepped towards Qrow, settling the weapon on the desk next to him. The next proximity allowed him to wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her close. He pressed a kiss against her hair. "I'd like to keep you unharmed for as long as possible."

The kiss was a gesture that Qrow had done a million times. He did it to Yang, usually while laughing against her hair, and her father, typically murmuring against him when Taiyang looked like he was about to break. But there was something about the whole situation that made the kiss seem like something more now.

Qrow released Ruby from his grasp. He hopped off the desk, spinning so he could look down at Crescent Rose. "Open her up then. We'll see if we can't figure out somewhere to place the new pieces without off-setting you."

As Qrow and Ruby stood side-by-side, immersed in a conversation about the improvements Ruby wanted to make to her weapon, Yang stood at the doorway wondering when Qrow had started reciprocating Ruby's crush.

* * *

 

 **2.**  
Taiyang was familiar with love.

He knew the kind of love he'd had with Raven, the kind that reminded him of summer. Every day together had been an adventure and everything had seemed so exciting with Raven by his side. They'd been invincible, untouchable. There were days when everything was as simple as the summer breeze through his hair and days were everything seemed as oppressive as the summer sun beating down on his skin. It was fast-paced and all consuming.

He knew the kind of love he'd had with Summer, the kind that reminded him of winter. They'd had their moments, fights which had them screaming like the wind in the middle of a blizzard, but for the most part things with Summer were slower, softer, quieter. Like a blanket of snow glittering in the sun light. Raven had made Taiyang burn brighter, but Summer tempered him. She pushed him to stop being a boy and start being a man, start being a father to the little blonde girl he had and the little brunette they would create.

He'd experienced two great, but opposite, types of love and having both of them ripped away from him had broken him.

So Taiyang knew love.

And it was written all over Ruby and Qrow.

Yang claimed that, boarding school or not, they were much too old to be escorted to the airship by their father and uncle so the family was saying their goodbyes in the foyer of their home.

Qrow had both of his arms around Ruby and his chin hooked on her head. His eyes were closed as he held the girl close. Ruby clung to him just as hard as he was to her. Her face buried in his chest, her palms pressed against his shoulder blades. Taiyang was honestly surprised his daughter hadn't climbed up Qrow and wrapped her legs around him as well.

"I'm gonna miss you," Ruby said, her voice was muffled by Qrow's shirt. She rubbed her face against the material, as if she thought she could somehow get closer to him that way.

Qrow's arms tightened around her. His face scrunched, his eyes remaining shut. "I'm gonna miss you too. We'll just have to treat it like when I go on a mission."

"I'm going to be at school a lot longer than you're on a mission," Ruby answered.

"You aren't wrong." One of Qrow's hands rubbed against Ruby's back, lazy strokes up between shoulder blades and then down to the lower back. "But it'll be okay. You can message and call me."

"You won't go on a mission without telling me?"

"If I don't have time to tell you, I'll make sure your dad does."  
  
Ruby turned her head, pressing her cheek against Qrow so she could look at Taiyang. "Promise, daddy?"

His heart broke a little in his chest. Ruby, despite being a little childish for her age, rarely defaulted to such an affectionate nickname for him. It was used exclusively when she was feeling vulnerable and needed comfort.

"I promise," Taiyang swore. He gave her a small smile. "Why don't you hurry up with the goodbye now? You and Yang have to leave soon if your going to catch your ship."

Ruby turned her face back into Qrow, letting out a tiny groan. "I didn't know going to Beacon was going to be this hard."

"I know," Qrow murmured. His palm stopped in the middle of her back, pressing in just a bit. He seemed to burrow the girl further into him. "I know."

Taiyang turned his head away from them as they murmured in low tones.

It was clear to him that Qrow and Ruby shared a deep love for each other. He hadn't noticed before now that it was anything more then familiar though.

There was a hint of a fatherly urge to tear Qrow away from his daughter and scream at him. But their relationship seemed to be strictly platonic, even if the love fueling it wasn't, and he knew how good a man Qrow was. He would wait for Ruby, wouldn't push her into anything and wasn't likely to make a move until Ruby did herself.

At least, his daughter had fallen for an older man Taiyang trusted.

* * *

 

 **3.**  
Winter was walking around through the festival, she'd been dismissed from her duties for the day and had promised Weiss to have lunch with her, when she heard a pleaded, "Please, Qrow! Please!"

Her eyes narrowed at the name. She spun to see where it was coming from.

She saw them almost instantly.

Qrow was standing in front of a stall with the leader of Weiss' team. Ruby was latched onto his arm and stretched up on her tiptoes. His head was tilted to the side and he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You really want it?" Qrow questioned.

He was glancing between Ruby and the stall full of large stuffed animals in front of them. His eyes seemed to be focused on one of the large black birds on the top shelves. Winter couldn't quite identify what type they were, though she figured it was a raven or crow.

"I really want it!" Ruby insisted.

"Would you even have room for it?" Qrow asked. "Isn't your dorm kind of crowded already?"

A shiver ran down Winter's spine at the mention of the room her sister lived in. The place was a mess, certainly not acceptable for a Schnee heiress.

"I can make it work," Ruby swore. Her arm tightened around his bicep. "It'll remind me of you when you aren't around."

Winter watched as Qrow's body shifted at the words. His shoulders had tensed, his weight shifted away from the young girl, and his lips curved down in a frown.

"Ruby," Qrow started.

"I know you can't be with me all the time," she interrupted. Her face had been craned up to stare at him before, but now her chin was dropped as she stared at his arm in front of her. Her features were carved in an expression of seriousness that didn't match the girl Winter had come to know the past few days. "And messages and phone calls are great. But it would be nice to have something to hold on to when your on a mission that keeps us from communicating."

Guilt ran across Qrow's face.

A long moment passed.

Winter'd been on dozens of missions with Qrow before and yet she felt like she'd never seen the man in front of her. The man who looked relaxed and calm. The man whose eyes swam with affection instead of untold tragedies. This man who actually looked like he was ashamed of his actions - even if that action was simply staying away from this girl.

It set her on edge.

"Alright," Qrow said at last. The fingers on the arm she was holding stretched out, brushing against Ruby's hip. "I can buy you one silly stuffed animal if it'll give you some peace of mind."

Ruby turned her head up, meeting his eyes again. "Really?"

"Really," he agreed. His lips curved up, his smile soft and affectionate. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "I am sorry for disappearing on you, Rubs."

"It's okay," Ruby murmured. Her lips turned back up in a smile at the feeling of his lips against her hair. "I know your busy."

"I am never too busy for you." Qrow straightened up and gave his arm a tug. Ruby responded by bending her knees, forcing him to carry her. His lips quirked in amusement. "Oh? We're doing this?"

"Yup," Ruby drew out. She popped the P on the word as she swung back and forth. "Let's buy my crow now."

"Yeah, yeah. Come on."

As Qrow carried the small girl closer to the booth, pulling his wallet from his pocket as he did, Winter turned away.

The idea of Qrow as a person with someone he cared and loved was something she wasn't quite equip to deal with. She would rather take her chances trying to figure out the person her sister had become.

* * *

  
**4.**  
For a Hunter, a weapon was an extension of yourself. It was a part of your body that kept you from certain death and a reflection of ones personality.

Magnhild was every bit as abrasive as Nora herself, StormFlower could be as swift and silent as Ren normally was or fire as quickly as he had to get a word in with Nora, and Crocea Mors reflected Jaune's simplicity and how great he could be with just a little polish.

Since arriving at Beacon, Pyrrha had also come to understand that some weapons weren't just reflections of the person who used them, Student's at Signal put every bit of themselves into their weapons when they created them. Ember Celica and Crescent Rose represented every single feeling Yang and Ruby had and all of their dreams for their future. They were their constant companions.

Pyrrha knew how much of Ruby had been embedded into her Scythe, so when she stepped onto the training field to find Qrow swinging her blade as Ruby held his she found herself shocked into stillness.

"We made improvements before you left for Beacon," Qrow said. He was sweeping the blade through the air effortless. "Do you really want to make more?"

"I always want to make more," Ruby answered. "I thought now would be a good time since you're here and can help me."

He hummed softly. Pyrrha watched as he flipped the switch to transform the weapon. He shot a few rounds into one of the far targets, but seemed unperturbed by the way it kicked. "What about the Vytal tournament? Are you sure you want to be readjusting when that's going on?"

"I'm not participating. Weiss and Yang are going to be moving on." Ruby lifted Qrow's blade in front of her, a thoughtful look on her face. Pyrrha couldn't help gaping a bit at that. The one time Pyrrha had handled Crescent Rose she had struggled under the weight of it. While she knew Ruby didn't have the same issue, to see such a small girl carrying a weapon that was doubtfully even heavier was still shocking. "You changed something."

Qrow glanced over at Ruby. "Why would I do that? My baby is a masterpiece."

"You changed something," Ruby repeated, her voice steely with confidence. Pyrrha found herself shocked at that as well. She knew how knowledgeable Ruby was about weapons, but to take one look at one and notice a change was astonishing."What was it?"

Qrow's lips pressed together, though the corners tipped up. "If you're so confident, why don't you tell me?"

She watched as Ruby's eyes narrowed with the challenge, sweeping up and down the weapon in her hands.

Ruby's thumb glided against the handle. Pyrrha heard the mechanical whirl before the blade split itself into pieces and rearranged as a scythe.

She'd seen the fight between Winter and Qrow, a few member of the audience had had enough piece of mind to record, but he hadn't used the blade as a scythe than. He'd stopped the battle before it got that far.

The weapon Ruby held in her hands now was beautiful. Whereas Crescent rose was primarily a deep red, Qrow's scythe was made of gleaming silver. The two scythes shared their black accents, though Qrow's were woven against the silver of the blade as they had been in it's sword form. The much more subtle gray accents of Ruby's weapon were replaced by red in Qrow's.

"The color," Ruby said. Her eyes were fixed on the red of the blade. "It's brighter."

Pyrrha found herself surprised when Qrow gave a small nod.

The blade hadn't even been visible before, so how had Ruby identified that there was a change on it?

Signal student's weapons were a reflection of their very soul and Yang had told Pyrrha more than once that her uncle worked at Signal. She wondered if it was the same for the teachers. She wondered if Ruby hadn't noticed the change in the weapon, but in the man.

"I've got Raven in the ribbon," Qrow murmured. Pyrrha's eyes dropped to the dark red grip on the handle. "But she's not the only person I'm missing now days."

Ruby made a soft accusation, "You made fun of me for buying that crow."

"A stuff crow is a little to literal, little red."

Pyrrha watched as Qrow let Crescent Rose fold back in his hands.

"Torchwick called me that whenever he ran into us," Ruby mused. Her eyes were still focused on the blade in her hands. "I think he was trying to taunt me with it, but all I could think about when he said it was you."

"I would hope I'm the first to come to mind. I've been calling you that since you first started wearing the cape."

Qrow closed some of the distance between Ruby and him. When he stood by her side, he reached out and closed his hand over hers on the hilt of his weapon. Ruby tipped her face up to see him.

Pyrrha's breath caught in her throat. Seeing the two of them wrapped up in each others weapons had settled the ghost of a feeling in her that she was intruding on something. The look on their faces now flared that feeling to life.

Ruby's tongue darted across her lips. Her eyes searched his face as she let out a soft, "Does this mean-?"

"What I said before you left is still true. Not until your older, graduation at the earliest," Qrow declared. His fingers fell between hers even as he spoke of rejection.

"Does this have to do with that mission you went on?" Ruby murmured. "And whatever it is you've been talking to General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin about?"

He frowned a bit. "You know I can't talk about that."

"I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here."

Qrow's eyes flickered across Ruby's face. He let out a small breath before saying, "There are things happening which could put us all in danger. I just wanted to make sure I had some part of you with me to keep me going."

Ruby looked as though she was going to question him further, but Qrow cut her off by lifting his freehand to poke her directly in her forehead. The touch sent her off balance a bit and her grip fell from Qrow's scythe. In one swift motion, he had plucked it from her completely.

"I can't talk about it and you know that," Qrow said. The scythe folded back into itself. He rested the blade against his shoulder. "Now, you can respect that and we can go find somewhere to work on blueprints for those improvements. Or I can walk you back to your dorm."

Ruby pursed her lips. After a moment, she murmured, "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm a Hunter and someday you're going to be a Huntress. Everyone in this profession gets hurt at some point or another," Qrow answered. He held Crescent Rose out to Ruby. When she reached for it, her fingertips brushed along his hand. "I promise I'm always going to try my best to get back to you, though."

"You swear?"

"I swear," Qrow agreed. "Now come on, what'll it be?"

Ruby looked down at Crescent Rose. She looked as though she had more questions, but ultimately settled on saying, "Let's find somewhere to work on her. I wanna make sure she's as good as she can be."

"That's my girl," Qrow said with his lips curved up in a smile.

As they walked off towards the exit on the other end of the training yard, Pyrrha found herself wondering just how close two people had to be to be that comfortable with each other.

* * *

 

 **5.**  
Ozpin cared for all of the students at Beacon, but even he had his favorites and, in the aftermath of the battle against the white fang and the Grimm they'd brought with them, he was feeling immensely proud of those he claimed.

Team JNPR had been among the first to take to protecting the citizens in the city. Jaune Arc had squared his shoulders and brought out the leader Ozpin knew he would be. He and Pyrrha Nikos had teamed up with the red and green haired members of Haven's team SSSN to fight off the hordes of Grimm and White Fang members as their remaining teammates cleared the citizens from the immediate battle field.

Team CFVY through themselves into battle. Neither Coco or Yatsuhashi had let their lost in the Vytal festival shake their confidence and Velvet Scarlatina seemed to grow into her abilities the same way Jaune had. With Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Fox by herself she had thrown herself into the battle without hesitation.

Then there was Team RWBY. The team he had come to favor the most of his students had proven their worth. They'd thrown themselves at the leaders of the attack. Blake Belladonna had faced her past with Adam Taurus, Yang Xiao Long had faced Neopolitan without fear, and Weiss Schnee had worked with her sister to bring down Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai once Atlas' army had joined the fight.

And the student he had the highest hopes for had surpassed them all. As her teachers fought off the hordes of enemies around them, she'd woven in with Qrow to take Cinder Fall down themselves.

However, his pride in them was not a sign of a perfect battle. There had been casualties and injuries on both sides.

One of which was the reason Ozpin was currently making his way through the hallways of a hospital.

When he reached his destination, he found the door already half open.

"How much longer are you planning on ignoring me?" he heard the patient inside ask.

He raised an eyebrow as he peered through the doorway.

Qrow was sitting up in the hospital bed. His shirt had been discarded, showing off the bandages that wrapped around his chest. A frown was settled on his lips as he looked at the girl in the chair by his bed.

Ruby was already a small girl, but she looked smaller than ever now. Her knees were drawn up to her chest while her chin rested in the dip between them. Her eyes were focused on the wall somewhere beyond Qrow, as if she was purposefully avoiding looking at him, and there were black bags under them, as if she hadn't slept in days.

"It's been a week," Qrow said. His frown seemed to deepen when Ruby didn't answer immediately. He pursed his lips briefly before adding, "I'm sorry about what happened but-"

"Sorry?" Ruby's voice was rough from disuse as she broke in. Her eyes whipped to Qrow. "You're sorry? This is my fault."

Qrow jerked at her words. His eyes widened. "What are you-"

"I was weak!" Ruby said. Her words were quite a shout, but they were close. Ozpin had no doubt she'd been holding this in for a while. "I should be the one hurt right now!"

"Don't ever say that to me!" Qrow snapped. His eyes were dark, his jaw clenched in anger. "Don't ever tell me you deserve to be injured."

"I do! It's my fault that you-"

"I chose to step in between you and those arrows!" he argued. "And I don't regret it at all! I can't bare the idea of this situation being reversed! I can't stand the thought of you being the one lying in this hospital bed."

"And you think I liked seeing it happen to you?" Ruby accused. She was definitely shouting now. She had pushed herself to her feet. She glared down at Qrow, her hands balled into fists at her side. "You think I liked finishing that fight while you bleed out at my feet? You think I liked sitting in the lobby and waiting to find out if you'd make it out of surgery? You think I liked waiting to see if you'd wake up afterwards? Or that I like sitting here and seeing you covered in those bandages? You think I can stand the thought of all of that happening because I was too weak? Because I couldn't watch my own back and Cinder knew that?" Ozpin thought he saw tears in her eyes as she let that last question out.

"Of course not, but I don't want to add your name to the list of people I loved that died! I don't want to have your death crushing my heart that your mothers is! I don't want to add not being able to save you to my list of regrets. I don't want to write that down beneath the fact that I couldn't stop my sister from leaving!"

"You are not the only one in this room that's in love!" Ozpin felt a wave of shock at the proclamation. He hadn't seen that on coming. "I am not too young for that, no matter what you say. What I'm too young for, is losing that! I don't want to turn into go through what my father went through before my graduation! I refuse to turn into him."

Ozpin's attention was drawn away from the argument happening in the room in front of him and towards footstep rushing down the hallway. A collection of worried looking nurses were approaching.

He shot a look at the door before giving a sigh. He reached over and pulled the door completely shut, blocking out the sounds of the argument.

Ozpin settled his best diplomatic smile on his face as the nurses grew closer.

His closest friend and dear student clearly had a lot to work out between themselves. He would give them a little time to figure things out. And afterwards, he'd figure out what was going on himself.

* * *

 

 **1.**  
"Ruby," Blake murmured as she stepped into their dorm room.

She had noticed as soon as the man arrived that Ruby and Qrow seemed to have a bond behind the one they projected. She'd been so caught up in her own problems that she hadn't questioned it at the time.

Now, however, with the White Fang crippled and Qrow having returned to his position at Signal since his wounds were healed seemed like a good time to deal with it.

Usually she would have left the emotional things to Yang, but she wasn't quite sure how much the blonde knew about the relationship her sister and uncle shared.

"Blake, what are you doing here? I thought you were with Sun."

Blake craned her head up.

Despite it being mid afternoon, Ruby was seated on her bed in her pajama pants and her hair was sticking out in all angles as if she'd been asleep. The stuffed crow she'd bought during the festival was lying in her lap."

"Sun went off with Sage and Scarlet," Blake said. She made her way up to Ruby's bunk, careful to balance her weight as she settled down next to the smaller girl. The bunk Ruby and Weiss shared was a lot less stable than the one she shared with Yang. Their knees pressed against each other. "I thought you may need some comfort."

Ruby hummed. Her head fell over onto Blake's shoulder.

Blake hesitated for a moment before reaching up to settle her hand on Ruby's hair. As she smoothed out the brown strands, she murmured, "You and Qrow...."

"We're in love with each other," Ruby finished. "But we're not together or anything. He says I'm too young and nothing can happen until I graduate."

"Being away from him is hard for you?"

"Yeah. I love you guys, but there's no one that understands me the way that Qrow does." She shifted her face so her forehead rested against Blake's shoulder. The faunus moved her hand down and let her nails scratch against the nap of Ruby's neck. The pleased noise Ruby let out pulsed satisfaction through Blake. She'd grown up surrounded by faunus and sometimes it was still hard to figure out which touches were comforting to humans. "I'll adjust. The same way I did when I first came to Beacon."

"Just because you can live without someone doesn't mean it's easy," Blake said.

Ruby made a soft sound before asking, "I know you came here for me, but did you-"

"I don't want to talk about it, no," Blake interrupted. She pursed her lips before explaining, "My life is easier, is better, without Adam in it. I realized that shortly after meeting you guys, but I needed closure before I could accept it."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a long time before Blake added, "Qrow promised to call you when he got to Patch, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want some ice cream? You're supposed to eat that when your heart broken, right?"

"I don't know," Ruby said. "I've never had my heart broken before. It's always been Qrow and, until I came to Beacon, we were always together."

"I'm pretty sure your supposed to eat ice cream when your heart broken," Blake said. "I'll go get some for us. We can eat it while you wait for him to call."

"It'll be a while. Patch is kinda far."

"I'll just make sure to get a flavor we both like."

Blake squeezed Ruby's neck gently before pulling her hand away. As she went to shift away and climb back down the bunk beds, Ruby reached out and wrapped her hand around Blake's wrist.

"Thank you," Ruby said. She gave Blake a small smile. "You're the first person that's come to talk to me about this thing with Qrow. It means a lot to me."

Despite her initial discomfort with being the one comforting their youngest teammate, Blake found herself answering with an honest, "I'll be here anytime you want to talk, Ruby."


End file.
